


The Three: the Beginning

by Vartheta999



Series: Strays AU Side Stories [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Backstory, F/M, More tags later, My Canon, Strays AU, pre-Great War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vartheta999/pseuds/Vartheta999
Summary: Three bots.Three stories of life that can't help but intertwine.This was their very start.
Relationships: Hacksaw(OC)/Veneer(OC)
Series: Strays AU Side Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1479659
Kudos: 1





	The Three: the Beginning

"Orion?"

The young archivist looked up from his datapad and saw a small purple youngling with bluish-purple optics staring up at him. 

"Hello, Nightshade," He smiled down at her. 

"Hi," She smiled back. "What are you reading?"

"It's a tragedy about two brothers, and the war that tore them apart and made them bitter enemies," He answered. "Want to hear it?"

She nodded eagerly and he placed her on his lap and began to read it to her. 

Orion was quite fond of the little femme. She was very bright for someone her age and always eager to learn more, and he took every chance to teach her when he wasn't busy, like now.

".... _Caligion stood above his dying brother, his jagged blade driven deep into his chest. He won, he finally won. After all the turmoil, after all his struggles, he had finally risen as the victor,_ " Orion read. " _He sneered and laughed as he watched the light begin to fade from his optics._ ** _I've won,_** _he repeated in his mind gleefully._ ** _I've won._** _Suddenly Agilis pulled him down!_ _Caligion expected an attack, but instead, Agilis embraced him._ "

" _‘Brother, oh, my dear brother. In this last moment we share, with my final my breath, I must confess; I have never hated you,’ He admitted in shuddering breaths as his vents hitched. ‘I couldn't, I wouldn't. I love you, Caligion, I love you.’"_ Nightshade read aloud, much to Orion's surprise.

"When did you learn how to read?" He asked, beaming with pride.

"Sire and Carrier have been teaching me!" She giggled. "Did I do good?"

"Yes, yes very good! In fact—Hold on," He paused, finally realizing she had come to him alone, "where are your creators?" 

"In the medical district with Ratchet. They're testing a new medicine."

"And what of your brother?"

"He left me here!" She exclaimed angrily.

"Again?" Orion frowned. "Where is he?

"He's going to Kaon to ' _test his mettle_ '."

"Luckily for you, I was already planning on going to Kaon. I'm meeting someone there. We can both get him back together," He set down his datapad, taking her in his arms and walking into a nearby elevator that lowered them down to the ground floor. After Orion signed out, they left the Hall of Records to catch the next unirail to Kaon. 

They reached Kaon an hour later. They left the station and kept an optic out for her wayward brother as they made their way to the gladiatorial pits.

Upon being seen by the gladiators, they were met with hostility. 

Every bot they passed immediately stopped whatever they were doing to stare at them with a cold, harsh gaze, muttering under their breaths. 

Orion looked around. Her brother was nowhere in sight and neither was who he was meeting.

"Excuse me," Orion announced. "I am Orion Pax from Iacon. I am looking for—"

"Oh," One of the gladiators said with

a scowl. "A pretty boy from Iacon. Come to taunt us?"

"No, I merely want to—"

"Well, either way, you aren't welcome here," Another, a large bot that looked two helms taller than him, approached him. They sneered. "So get outta here….before we make you."

"Orion," Nightshade whimpered, holding onto him tighter. "I'm scared."

"It's alright, Nightshade. I'm here to protect you," He assured her quietly, patting her gently on the back while he frowned, glaring up at the heckler. "I am not seeking to cause any discourse! Are you so low as to act so violently in front of and/or against this child as well? I am just looking for—"

"Casian," A new voice broke in, "leave him be!"

The bot, Casian, instantly back away from Orion as a large silver mech approached him.

"Megatronus," Orion said in relief and the mech bowed his head to say yes.

"You must be Orion Pax. And who is this young one," Megatronus gestured to Nightshade, who shrunk back in fear. "I wasn't aware you were bringing anyone other than yourself."

"This is my little friend Nightshade, I believe I mentioned her to you once," Orion coaxed her into looking up at the other mech. "Nightshade, this is Megatronus, an acquaintance of mine."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nightshade," the gladiator held out his hand to her and she made a little noise of distress, quickly burying her face back into Orion's chest. He chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, little one. I've heard that you are quite the budding genius and it is indeed an honor to meet you."

Nightshade brought her helm up to eye him cautiously for a moment. Then she smiled a bit and took one of his large fingers in her much smaller hands, giving it a firm shake. 

"I brought her along because her brother apparently came here before us. Tell me, have you seen young mech about this tall? He may have tried challenging someone to a spar or two."

Megatronus looked back as shouts could be heard from nearby and sighed, "I believe I have. Right, this way."

They followed him to what appeared to be a training area as there were weapons and training dummies strewn about. Everyone there consisted of younglings and teensparks, and they were all crowded in the middle cheering and chanting as grunts were heard from within their circle.

"Say it. Say it now!"

"I would never surrender to a—OWAH!"

Nightshade shot up at the shrieks of the second voice. "Jigsaw?"

"Say it!"

"Never—AH! Okay! Okay! I yield."

"....What? _I couldn't hear you_."

"What!? You know very well that you did! Your kind is known for their—OW! I YIELD, OH, I YIELD! Wait! Nonononono—AAAH!"

At once Orion, Megatronus, and Night saw a young teal and white mech fly out the circle and crash into a rack of weapons.

It was silent for a moment before cheers erupted from the small crowd of gladiators to be as they threw up the victor of the fight, a young pitch-black wolficon, chanting his name in celebration. "Lambda! Lambda!" 

Even Megatron and Nightshade applauded him; the latter especially. 

Orion quickly went over to Jigsaw, putting Nightshade down to help him up.

"Thank you…." Jigsaw froze, realizing it was Orion, and he laughed nervously. "Orion Pax, I see you're here….and you've brought my sister as well. How are you, Little Shade? I'm sorry for leaving you behind!"

She turned her back to him with a huff. 

"Don't be like that," He frowned. "C'mon!"

"It serves you right, Jigsaw," Orion scowled, voice laced with disapproval. "And I'll be telling both your creators about this."

"No! I'll be confined to our home. I'll have to sit through all the lessons on medicine, actually _learning_ that slag--most of which I already know," He wailed. "You can't be _that_ cruel, Orion."

"That's the point, you'll learn your lesson."

"But—"

"That's final."

"Oh, come on—"

"Jigsaw of Iacon, you will go home!"

"You can't tell me what to do, archivist—"

"Act your age and I won't have to!"

Nightshade rolled her optics at them with a groan. This was gonna be a while. What should she do?

That's when she noticed the victor, Lambda, staring at her. It wasn't in an unfriendly way like the others, more like in a fascinated way. He did look pretty young--he was tall but she could tell he was just a little over her age. All the others were a lot older, maybe he hadn't seen anyone as young as him before? There was almost a familiarity in his optics, too, like he felt he knew her. She had to admit, she felt the same and she wanted to explore these feelings. 

She turned back to look at her arguing companions and saw that even Megatronus had gotten a little involved in trying to hold her brother back from hurting Orion.

She shrugged, thinking _What the hey?,_ and approached Lambda. Lambda seemed to be pleased by this, grinning wider as she got closer. 

"I'm Nightshade. Your name is Lambda, right?" She asked. 

"Yup, that's me!" He replied happily. "Wanna go see my gladiator dolls? I made some of them myself."

She nodded eagerly and took his hand as he lead her away.

For a moment, they felt a spark, looking at each other with soft smiles. 

"You," They whispered softly. 

And then, just like that, the spark was gone. The two new friends blinked, having no memory of what had happened, and continued on their merry way, disappearing around the corner. 

"Fine! I'll go home--Megatronus, _The Harbinger of Death,_ wonderful meeting you, big fan; unfortunately it was like this--Nightshade, come on!" When his reply was only silence, Jigsaw groaned. "Come on, don't be like--She's gone!"

●•●•●•●

Lambda brought her to a small shack adjacent to the gladiator barracks that he called his home where she met his guardian Denami, a resident doctor of sorts who tended to the wounded after matches. She thought he was scary, at first, as this large, imposing mech quietly sat in the corner and sharpened his vast array of medical knives. But then he spoke and had the most gentle voice imaginable, putting her at ease.

Now, both were currently sitting on a berth as he showed her his toys. 

"And this one is Renegade!" Lambda held up a makeshift doll made of pieces of scrap skillfully bent, twisted, and crafted to look like it could be a bot. "You know, _The Wildcard_?"

"I think so? Jig loves gladiators. I don't.

...not really," Nightshade shrugged. "Are you gonna be one when you grow up? You're pretty good at beating people up."

"No. I wanna go to Iacon."

"And do what?"

"M'I don't know. Cube? I'm an athlete so….yup. Cube. Maybe music, too."

He went back to showing her his toys, eventually, they began playing a game where they reenacted the story Orion told her earlier; as it turned out, Lambda knew it as well. 

This was the most fun she'd had in a long time, she never really got to play with other younglings--not that they wanted to. 

Jigsaw had a long-standing reputation for being a vicious rabble-rouser since early youth, he was a legend and he just barely reached adulthood the previous year. She was in his large shadow and the younglings who heard of him from their caretakers or older siblings all feared her to be the same, so they stayed away.

It was very rare for her brother to play with her when he had free time (which he had lots of) and her creators could only do so much with her before they had to work

That was why she practically clung to Orion, a friend of her family who Jigsaw often left her with, he was who she wished her brother could be. Kind, loving, aware, and attentive. Even when the archivist was busy, he'd take a little time to set up a small activity for her and make sure she was alright. 

Lambda, on the other hand, was just glad to have someone near his age who enjoyed playing pretend as much as he did, something that was looked down upon by the other youths. This was a place brawn was a valued, anything else was moot. 

"Your hands are so small," Lambda giggled along with her as they pressed their hands together.

"Your hands….claws….are too big, then," She quipped. 

"Hey, that's mean," He snapped back, but he held no anger in his tone. "Your eyes are really pretty. And sparkly. Super sparkly. Why?"

"They do that when I'm feeling happy."

"I'm happy, too," He pointed to his wagging tail and they both laughed. "I like you, you're nice."

"I like you, too," She replied. "Lambda?"

"Yes?"

"Will you be my friend?"

"We're already friends, silly."

"I guess so," She shrugged. "What about a best friend? My best friend in the whole wide universe."

He nodded eagerly and in the next instant embraced her, nuzzling the top of her helm. She squealed happily and hugged back.

Denami sighed in content and beamed with pleasure at the sight, "You two are adorable. Lambda, it's time for your evening energon. Nightshade, would you like some too?"

She quickly nodded and he handed her a small cup full. It was then that he realized he'd never seen her before. In fact, it was obvious she wasn't even from around here. Her finish was far too near flawless and well waxed, her plating without a hint of armour additions for safety. She, as well, looked a lot like someone he knew a while back. Where did Lambda find her?

He decided to ask them. 

"Oh, I beat up her big brother, he's a real jerk. He was trying to fight everyone so I taught him a lesson!" Lambda snickered with Nightshade. "Then I saw her and she came over and that's how we became friends!"

Denami raised an optic ridge, "Was she with her brother when you beat him up?"

Nightshade shook her helm, "No, I came to look for him with Orion."

He gasped, " _Orion? Orion Pax?"_

"Mhm! They were arguing and I was bored. So I went to be with Lambda."

"I see--Do they even know you're here?"

"Nope," She chimed, drinking the energon. 

"Oh goodness, they must be looking for you! It's been nearly an hour since you came here….come on, I'm taking you to them--"

Suddenly, someone burst through the front door. The younglings shrieked in surprise and hid behind Denami. 

"Where is she, you dirty--!" 

"Sorry for bursting in but does a little girl happen to be here? She's purple," Orion cut Jigsaw off before he could finish.

 _Orion. Jigsaw, you've grown…._ "Yes! I was actually about to go looking for you," He stepped to the side, revealing a nervously smiling Nightshade. 

"Oh, my little Shade!" Jigsaw swept her into his arms and she struggled against his constricting embrace. "Don't wander away again. Let's go home!"

He turned and left, but right before he was out Nightshade managed to wave goodbye at her new friend and Lambda returned the gesture, both hoping to each other again.

Though Jigsaw left, Orion remained, gaze lingering on Denami. 

"I know you," He stated quietly and the other hesitantly nodded. "You've been here this whole time? We feared you dead."

"That was the point."

"And Lambda….is he y--"

"It's good to see you," Denami interrupted, becoming a bit standoffish, "but please. _Leave_."

Orion only bowed his head, looking back once at Lambda and whispering, "He's beautiful, by the way, they would be proud."

And with that Denami softly shut the door close, joining his charge who laid quietly on the berth. He sat down and the youngling crawled onto his lap and the mech gathered him in a warm embrace. 

"Nightshade looks like her carrier," Denami murmured suddenly, almost to himself. "She's got Hacksaw's optics, though."

Lambda audials twitched and he raised his helm to look at him, mouth agape, "How do you know?"

"I hail from Iacon. I studied with her creators to become a doctor, a long time before I came here," He explained. 

"Why did you leave, Denami? Iacon is so much nicer!" He exclaimed in disbelief, frowning. "This place is a slag heap!"

"Many reasons that you'll one day learn, Lambda," He sighed in reply. He looked angry….and sad. Before Lambda could ask what was the matter, he was pet between the ears and he let out what sounded almost like a purr in response as Denami chuckled, "I think I could help you see your friend whenever you wanted. And don't worry, no one will try to hurt you. I'll be there to protect you." 

●•●•●•●

"I can't believe you were consorting with my enemy, Shade!" Jigsaw groaned at his sister, who sat across from him as they rode the unirail back home. "Betrayed by my own baby sister…."

"You're an adult and he's just a kid, not even older than me by a lot!" She scowled. "You're being a bully and I'm glad he beat you up!"

"....I got beat up by a kid? _I tried to beat up a kid?_ "

She nodded.

"I thought he was like, you know, a minicon. Maybe minibot…." He trailed off, embarrassed and ashamed. He kept his mouth shut the rest of the way back home.

When they did finally get there, Jigsaw sighed.

"Look, Shade, I'm sorry about today," He took her by the hand and led her out the doors to the station. "I'll make it up to you."

"Sure you will," Nightshade murmured. 

"I mean it—" He jolted in fear and surprise when someone shouted his name. "Aw, frag….Orion commed them already…."

He was confronted by a much older red and white mech with the same colored optics as Nightshade, wearing a scowl. 

"Sire, what are you doing here? Where's Carrier?" He asked, though, to be honest, he was thankful he'd only deal with the wrath of one creator, and the merciful one at that. However, judging by the look on Hacksaw's face, the latter won't help much with his situation.

"She's still busy--Ratchet's picking up my slack--and I'm here to take you both home and make sure you specifically won't wander off," He answered with a small scowl. "When we get there, you and I are going to have a serious talk."

"Super….Bye!" He bolted in the opposite direction and transformed, flying off into the air before his sire could catch him.

"Ugh! He just had to inherit Veneer's wings!" He shouted, muttering a few select curses and balling his hands into a fist over and over. Then his daughter tapped his leg, pulling him out of his anger. 

"Sri, don't worry, he's going to turn up at the police station by tomorrow like he always does," Nightshade pointed out as he picked her up. 

"Oh….I guess you're right about that," He laughed and began to walk home, which was nearby. "He never fails to get himself into more trouble. I pray you won't act like that when you get older. Now, how was your day? Your carrier and I heard from Pax you made a friend."

"Mhm, his name is Lambda! He's really good at fighting—" 

"I know, Pax told us what he did to your brother."

"—and he's so smart and nice. He's a wolficon, too."

"Oh, is he now? We had friends who were ones, a long time ago, before you were created," He said thoughtfully. "They very intelligent and highly skilled in surgery, I dare say they were both the best surgeons I've ever known--besides your carrier."

"Where are they?"

"In the Allspark. Bad people, who didn't like them for who they were sent them there," He vented deeply and shook his helm at the thought. 

●•●•●•●

"I must say, it was nice to actually speak in person for once," Orion commented as he and Megatronus walked to the station, "and, again, I am sorry for the trouble caused earlier by Jigsaw and Nightshade wandering off." 

"He is young and he will learn one day to be humble and mindful. As for the girl, she is a child and children tend to do such things," Megatronus said. "I'll be seeing you next time?"

"Of course. Hopefully under better circumstances. We still have so much to discuss, I'll call you," Orion added, boarding the unirail back to Iacon. "Goodbye, Megatronus."

"Goodbye, Orion Pax. Safe travels."

* * *

_Many stellar cycles passed, in fact, a whole semicentennial._

_Between Megatronus and Orion Pax, something grew. The former became a teacher and the latter his student. But there also lay a strong bond likened to that shared by brother. They had great plans for Cybertron to make it a world of equals. No more caste system, no more anything that resembled the bad elements of the current order. Just peace._

_Meanwhile, true to his word, Denami made sure Lambda and Nightshade saw each other as much as possible. It was hard going somewhere he swore never to return to, but Lambda's happiness meant more to him than anything. Sometimes he even let him stay overnights, occasionally days, with his friend. He trusted her creators to look after him, they were old friends after all. Hacksaw and Veneer never minded having Lambda around. It was like having another, less unnecessarily arrogant and mischievous, son around; a son who actually listened to them. His presence also gave Nightshade a much-needed friend and in some ways a brother, and the two were nearly inseparable._

_As for her actual brother, Jigsaw completed his training and was now a doctor. While in his youth he was known for being an avid troublemaker, now he was known for his unorthodox methods. No patients died under his care, however, they almost did with the risks he'd take and rules he'd break for the opposite reason._

_He already was at odds with his creators, this just made things worse. He was hardly ever home now, spending most of his time in Kaon blowing off steam. He somewhat helped with Orion and Megatronus with their movement, though, it was mainly an excuse to be around the latter. He admired the gladiator who seemed to understand him better than most._

* * *

"Lambda, just show me already. Pretty please?" Nightshade begged him as he tried to hide something behind his back. He'd been very adamant about how the present he got for her was extremely special and she was desperate to see it. 

"Not yet--"

"Please?" She flashed her bright eyes, sticking out her bottom lip and whimpering. "Please, Lambda?"

Lambda gave in very quickly, rolling his optics, "Oh, alright. Tada!" He presented her with a long box and gave it to her. 

"Oh, Lambda, thank you," She grinned and shook it to try to get an idea of what was inside; one thing was for sure, it was a little heavy. "What is it?"

"Something I saw you you really like the last time you came to see me in Kaon," He hinted. "One of the blacksmiths owed Denami some favors and he had them make these for me so I could give it to you….Have you guessed what it is yet?"

"Yes….but let me open it to make sure," She said, a smile playing on her lips as she began to lift the lid--

Then they were interrupted by a knock on her bedroom door before someone came in.

"Hi, Orion," They greeted him warmly, both running up to embrace his legs.

"Hello, Lambda, Nightshade," He greeted back just as warmly, patting their helms gently. However, they immediately noticed something seemed off about him. He was tense and in his voice was….sad. 

"Orion? What's the matter?" They asked. 

"Lambda, can you leave me and Nightshade to talk. It's important."

The young wolficon complied immediately and left the room, looking back one last time as Orion picked Nightshade up, cradling her almost, and sat on the berth.

He was caught by surprise upon seeing Ratchet and Denami standing in the lounge.

"Ratchet, Denami," He bowed his helm slightly as a show of respect. "What are you doing here?"

His guardian crouched down to put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. Denami only did that whenever he needed to bring up something serious.

"....You're going to have to be there for little Nightshade now more than ever, Lambda," Denami replied vaguely, not exactly giving him an answer. 

"I don't understand."

"Lambda, the medical center was bombed today," Ratchet clarified. 

"Is that why you look so messed up?" He noticed the mech was a few dents and scratches, he reeked of something burnt. "Where are Hacksaw and Veneer? Jigsaw? If you're here, shouldn't they….Oh. Oh no."

Ratchet nodded slowly, shaking his helm solemnly. "Hacksaw and Veneer went with it. I-I….I tried to save them. But….But they were closest to the blast. Too late, I was too late…."

"It's okay, Ratchet. It's okay," Denami reassured him. "Jigsaw is alive, he wasn't present during the blast. He left earlier in the day. Megatronus is looking for him now."

Lambda gasped when his audio receptors picked up a soft, quiet sob from Nightshade. He ran back the way he came, almost bursting back into her room.

Orion had here enveloped in a protective embrace, softly murmuring words of comfort as she cried into his shoulder 

Lambda went and hugged her as well. Ratchet followed soon after, along with Denami, and they all huddled together in mourning.

"Nightshade," Ratchet eventually spoke up and she looked at him, "I'm….I'm going to take care of you now. It's what your creators wanted in case….this happened. Are you okay with that?"

She only closed her optics and let herself fall asleep. 

●•●•●•●

_‘Jigsaw,’ The winged femme spoke in a scolding voice, the one you would use on a child._

_A child. They still treated him like a child._

_‘What?’ He spat out with a snarl. ‘What did I do now, Carrier!?’_

_‘You nearly cost that mech his life!’_

_‘I was able to save him, wasn't I?’_

_‘That isn't the point!’ His sire cut in. ‘You can't be_ — _’_

_‘I can't be taking risks--what-fragging-ever. There risks that save people! Honestly, you two, why are you so upset? He didn't die,’ He groaned, optics rolling in annoyance._

_‘He almost did, Jigsaw!’ Veneer shouted. ‘You can't just do things because you feel like it in the middle of surgery!’_

_‘You treat this all like it's a game! It isn't,’ Hacksaw frowned. ‘Lives are at stake_ —’ 

_‘I am not afraid, like you!’ Jigsaw snapped. ‘Who cares if someone, or even a few, die for the sake of progress!’_

_Hacksaw and Veneer gaped in horror as the last words slipped out his vocalizer._

_‘Have we taught you nothing?’ Veneer gasped. ‘All lives matter, no matter the person.’_

_‘Words of the weak. You both are weak,’ Jigsaw scoffed. ‘That is why I despise you.’_

_He pushed past them, ignoring the deep hurt in their optics._

* * *

Thinking back on earlier, maybe he had been a little too harsh and, yeah, maybe they were right about him.

But he just wanted to be the best. He wanted them to be proud of him. Sometimes he felt they had his sister to get a second chance at a good kid, Primus knows he was a _monster_ of a teenager by then. In his mind, Nightshade was everything they could've wanted in a child, and well behaved and not a tinge sadistic like him; he supposed that was why he was so distant and cold with her at times, he occasionally didn't like her. He felt ashamed of this and he would find ways to make it up for it later on, he did love her.

(He'll never admit it, but he even liked Lambda. The kid has spunk.)

He loves his creators. So damn much. Things weren't always like this, they all were close once. He wanted that back. 

They had to know that he didn't despise them. He adored them, he loved them, even if he was bad at showing it. 

He had to go apologize. 

But, maybe after one more drink.

"'Ey, bartender, give me ‘nother one! Bette’ yeeet….all drinks on me again!" 

Cheers erupted throughout the bar as the bartender took his shanix but refused to give him another drink.

"Why not?"

"You've clearly had enough. You can't even look me in the optics and tell me I'm wrong," They pointed out.

"Bah!" He waved them off when they had come over to help him off his stool. He staggered out the door.

He would have fallen flat on his face if it weren't for a last-minute save from someone.

"I knew I might find you here, Jigsaw," Megatronus kept the younger mech steady as he led him through the hustle and bustle of the night. "Come, your sister's waiting for you."

"Why? What ‘appened? Did I forget to pick ‘er up from school again? Carrier's going to kill me. But maybe I deserve it," He laughed. Megatronus instantly tensed at his little quip and this didn't go unnoticed. "What's wrong?"

"….I assume you haven't heard about the bombing," He concluded.

"‘Nother one? This is getting outta ‘and," He frowned. "It's disgusting that they do it in your name….Why?"

Megatronus stopped and held him at arm's length, sighing, "Your creators are dead, Jigsaw." 

"....You' kidding right?" He asked with a nervous laugh. "They're okay, I just saw them this afternoon."

The other shook his helm and echoed sadly, "They're dead, I'm sorry."

"No, they' not. I need to say I'm sorry! That I love them!" He argued in denial. He tried to feel for them through the bond shared by creator and offspring. 

It was cold. It was….dead.

Then he remembered. 

An hour before, maybe a quarter more, he had felt a sharp pain from within his spark, dulled only slightly by the high grade. It was quick and didn't last longer than a few minutes so he immediately, in his intoxicated state, brushed it off as nothing. 

He couldn't have been more wrong. 

"Jigsaw, let's go--"

"F-Frag off me!" He exclaimed pushing against him and running away, transforming before he could be caught.

He blacked out.

Everything after was just a cavalcade of broken bits of memory. 

He had somehow found out who had set the bombs from a gladiator with no voice (or possibly face) and went to them. 

There was screaming mixed with the sound of his buzzsaw cutting through the armor to the protoform with ease.

There was so much energon spilt.

He tasted it in his mouth, it wasn't bad. 

Now, he stood before his little sister as she trembled in fear at the sight of him.

From helm to heelstrut he was covered in their energon and he hadn't even put his saw away.

"Nightshade….don't be afraid," He stepped towards her and she stumbled backward onto her berth and kept moving back until she hit the wall. "Nightshade, it's me. Your big brother."

She vigorously shook her helm and squeaked when he cupped the side of her face tenderly, staining her with the still fresh energon on his hands. He gently coaxed her to look at him and he smiled. "It's me, my little Shade. My beautiful baby sister, it's me."

"Jig….?" She realized, finally, and he nodded. "What….d-did you do? Why do you look like this? Did you get hurt?"

"No, Shade, I made them pay. I made them pay for taking Sire and Carrier away," He laughed a little. "I avenged their deaths. Oh, you should've seen how they begged for mercy. Like I would've given them the privilege after what they did."

This wasn't her brother. 

This was someone else entirely. 

Her brother didn't kill. 

Her brother didn't look like a monster. 

He was a jerk, sure, but not a monster. 

Nightshade screamed. 

All the others, who were resting in the next room, were dragged out of their slumber and they burst into Nightshade's room.

They saw a crazed mech standing a bit to the side while she was curled up in a ball in the corner, eyeing the mech fearfully with tears in her optics.

"Jigsaw?" Ratchet recognized him as he and Denami pinned him against the wall while Orion and Lambda went to console Nightshade. "What happened!?" He asked, in concern about his deranged state. "Well?"

"Why is she crying? She should be happy! I killed them, I made them pay for taking out creators away," Jigsaw spoke with a low growl. "She should be happy! Why is she scared? I am her brother, she's never been scared of me!"

"You…." Ratchet's face contorted into a look of disgust mixed with extreme horror. "Jigsaw….you….Maybe it's best if you stay away from Nightshade for right now. Calm down."

"No. I will talk to my sister right now and you will leave us. Now," His saw began to buzz to life as he, with all his strength, pushed the Denami back, sending him crashing into the wall, while he cut deep into Ratchet's arm.

The older mech cried out in agony and released him, cradling his practically amputated appendage.

Jigsaw made short work of Orion, nicking him a bit in the abdomen with the saw, grabbing him by the face, and slamming it into the wall. The archivist fell to the ground easily after that. 

The only one in his way was Lambda. He stood in front of Nightshade, growling as he bared his dentea at him. He was about to get him out of the way, too, reaching to grab him when he finally got a good look at Nightshade. 

She was afraid, even more than earlier. 

He could see the fear in her optics as they welled up with tears and she trembled. 

"....Sweet Solus Prime….what have I done?" He looked around at the aftermath of his actions, retracting his saw and finally breaking out of his bloodthirsty trance. "Ratchet, Orion, Denami, Nightshade, I'm so sorry," He tried to reach for his sister, but she reeled back with a cry and clung to Lambda for dear life. "I didn't mean—I mean, I did mean what I did earlier, but not this. I just….No."

He went for the window, not caring to open it as he crashed through, plummeting towards the street stories below.

The others in the room would have feared him dead if they hadn't heard the sounds of his jets a few seconds later.

"Ratchet," Orion groaned, pushing himself up to stand, "are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay! I need to go to a hospital," He winced as Denami helped him up. 

"I'll take you to one that's still standing, don't worry," Denami assured him as he lead him out the door.

"Wait! Nightshade," Ratchet stopped by the door and looked back at her, "are you okay? I could stay if you like. Someone could just come and—"

"No. Just go, I'll be fine," She said, forcing herself to smile, "I have Lambda and Orion with me."

"Okay…." He reluctantly left a moment later.

Nightshade felt her face, pulling back to see that the energon was still on her face as it stained her fingertips. She flinched. "He killed them. He _killed_ them," She repeated quietly.

Orion quickly led her out of the room, closely followed by Lambda, into a washroom. 

With a damp cloth and a little bit of soap, he cleaned her face as she stared blankly into a mirror.

"All better?" He asked when the last of it was gone. She nodded and he led her to another room in the apartment, and they all sat on the berth. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, Nightshade," He sighed. "Your brother….I'm sorry that he scared you, I'm sorry for what he did. I'm sorry that all this is happening. I can't tell you anything else but to be strong. I know things seem bad now, but they'll get better."

"....You promise?" She asked warily.

"I promise," He smiled reassuringly. 

"Okay," She sighed. "Can I go back to sleep?"

"Of course. Do you want me to tell you a story?" 

She shook her helm as she laid down. 

"Alright. Sweet dreams, Nightshade," He planted a kiss on her forehelm, pulling a cover over her and tucking her in. "Come, Lambda, let's let her rest."

Lambda nodded and followed him, but before he was able to leave the room himself, Nightshade called his name.

"What is it, Nightey?"

"….Can you sleep with me? Please."

"....Are you sure? I might knock you off by accident, you know I move a lot in my recharge—"

"Please," She begged. "Lambda, I don't want to sleep alone."

Lambda sighed after a moment of debate, "Okay. Make some room," He laid down next to her and, to his surprise, she pulled him close. "N-Nightey?"

"Lambda, promise that you won't leave me alone," She whispered in his audial. "Promise that you'll always be there, even when you're far away. I don't want to lose you, too. You're my best friend."

"Nightey, I promise I'll try—No, I promise that I will! It's you and me forever," He swore. "No matter what happens, I promise….Do you promise, too?"

"Yes, I promise that it's you and me to the very end!"

"And back again?"

"And back again. Forever."

"Forever."

●•●•●•●

Jigsaw silently wept. 

He was taught better. Getting revenge didn't solve anything. It only made things worse. 

It didn't bring his creators back. 

And his precious, beautiful little sister. He would never be able to look her in the face again, much less be near her. She feared him now.

All in the span of a day, he lost everyone he held dear. 

"Jigsaw."

He froze and lifted his helm to see who it was.

"Megatronus!" He reeled back, scurrying backward into a wall. Dead end. "Who sent you after me!? How did you find me!?"

"I came for you on my own accord and this is Kaon, nothing occurs here without my knowing. Now get up," Megatronus pulled him up to stand. "Why do you cry? You avenged your creator's deaths."

"Yes, but….How do you know what I did?"

"It is evident that you have gotten into more than a little scuffle and you already know that I have optics everywhere here," He answered. "You should be proud of yourself for what you've done."

"My sister doesn't see it that way," He sighed, sadly. "She looks at me as though I am a monster. Perhaps she is right, maybe I am…."

"She is still a child, it is in her nature to fear what she doesn't understand," He frowned. "I, for one, beg to differ from her view."

Jigsaw offered a confused expression in a silent question as to what he meant.

"You honored Veneer and Hacksaw's memory, and all the others who joined the Allspark today, you avenged them all by killing the ones responsible for their deaths," He explained. "Jigsaw, today, you are no longer a child. Today, you've grown up, because you weren't afraid to do what had to be done. You proved you were strong enough. And most of all," He placed a hand on the younger's shoulder and smiled, "you've earned my respect as a warrior."

"Really?" Jigsaw beamed, all his previous weariness fading away. Megatronus understood it all, and to have his respect was the highest honor that he could ever have. 

"Orion?" Megatronus said suddenly, turning away from him. "No, no I haven't seen Jigsaw….I promise that if I do you'd be the first to know….Yes, I'll be seeing you tomorrow for the meeting with the Council. Let's hope for the best tomorrow."


End file.
